Friday Five: February 3, 2017

A program with little public fanfare just reached its goal three years early. Much like the "moon shot" from which it got its name, SunShot sought to do what critics at the time said could not happen. We need to remember constantly that aspirational goals give us focus, and that when we put faith in the combination of collective action through government, human ingenuity, and individual tenacity we can do anything as a species.
SunShot $1 per Watt Solar Cost Goal: Mission Accomplished, Years Ahead of Schedule
"The SunShot initiative hoped to reduce the total costs of PV solar energy systems by about 75 percent so that they were cost-competitive with other forms of energy without subsidies before 2020. Chu said that SunShot would work to bring down the cost of solar -- by focusing on four main pillars:

• Technologies for solar cells and arrays
• Power electronics to optimize the performance of the installation
• Improvements in solar manufacturing processes
• Installation, design and permitting for solar energy systems"

Cook County government has quietly raised the stakes in promoting and advancing clean energy technologies. This most recent public-private partnership holds tremendous hope for success as we find ways to bring economic development to blighted areas while opening access to clean energy to communities that traditionally could not afford it.
Cook County Laying Blueprint for New Age of Community Solar Projects
"As part of the project, Cook County has been developing a handful of solar demonstration sites on rooftops and vacant parcels of land. Although the Energy Department funding does not cover full implementation of solar units, it allows the county to analyze the design and technical and financial feasibility of larger-scale, community solar projects."

These reminders of success through appropriate government leadership stand in contrast to the actions currently taking place at the federal level. The coal industry cannot survive economically, and will not make a recovery. Government intervention did nothing to cause this, but that will not prevent ideologues from using "saving coal" to sanction environmental damage. This succeeds because no one with power will speak for those powerless that suffer the consequences of these actions.
Why Congress just killed a rule restricting coal companies from dumping waste in streams
"Killing this regulation won’t really help Trump fulfill his goal of reversing the coal industry’s decline; that decline has more to do with cheap natural gas than anything else. Instead, Republicans are mostly focusing on this rule because they can. Because the stream protection rule wasn’t finished until very late in 2016, it’s much, much easier to kill than most of the other Obama-era rules around coal pollution. It was an easy target, so long as the GOP acted fast."

Those who recognize the consequences of actions by government or powerful business interests have an obligation to stand up to those who would abuse their power. The public actions of the past couple of weeks can inspire, but must lead to other actions that have tangible outcomes.
From Protests Past, Lessons in What Works
"Marches are useful for the anti-Trump movement because numbers are one of its advantages. But marches have their shortcomings. “Marches and parades are, in effect, symbolic gestures,” said Retired Colonel Robert Helvey, a scholar and teacher of strategic nonviolence. They can recruit and inspire. But they are infrequent, special events. And they are too sweeping to achieve the series of specific locally won victories the movement needs. And for the anti-Trump demonstrations, they have been mostly in the wrong places."

For example, when 200,000 customers either canceled their account or deleted the Uber app from their phone, it hit the company and its CEO in a way that forced a response. In the age of government at the national and state level that sees little to no need for government intervention in business activities, boycotts such as these hold the real key to power. We must use this power to move business toward accepting reasonable, codified limitations on the marketplace. This will be easier that one might think since a consistent, reasonable marketplace is what businesses most desire.
Uber C.E.O. to Leave Trump Advisory Council After Criticism
"Uber was under attack — unfairly, many staff members believed — after people accused the company of seeking to profit from giving rides to airport customers in New York during weekend protests against President Trump’s immigration order.

But there was another matter disturbing the employees: Mr. Kalanick himself. He had joined Mr. Trump’s economic advisory council in December. After the immigration order against refugees and seven Muslim-majority countries, many staff members wondered why Mr. Kalanick was still willing to advise the president."

Happy Friday!